A broad array of markets utilize polymers including construction, automotive, aerospace and other consumer products. Presently, commercial resins are based on polyesters, vinyl esters, epoxies and urethanes that consist of chemicals with major concerns such as styrene, formaldehyde, epichlorohydrin, isocyanates, and bisphenol A (BPA). For example, bisphenol A is an endocrine disruptor mimicking the natural hormone estrogen and fools the body by stimulating unnecessary reactions, especially in infants and young children. The United States Food and Drug Administration have eliminated the use of the BPA in manufacturing of baby bottles, sippy cups and infant formula packaging. Lately, the global oil crisis has again brought the importance of polymers based on renewable resources into the forefront of research and industrial applications. The reasons for this paradigm shift include declining amounts and ever-increasing price of fossil fuels and the growing awareness of environment and human health.
Accordingly, there is a need to produce polymers that do not suffer from all or some of these deficiencies.